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The Switch Pro Controller has the worst first party D-pad next to the Xbox 360's!

X

xochipiltontli

Member
Mine is garbage, and I'm leaning more towards it being a design flaw and not my controller just being a bad egg. The only reason why I'm not too bothered about it is because most of the games I own don't use it extensively, and my guess is that a lot (probably not all, but a lot) of those who say they've experienced no problems simply haven't used it enough.
 
I

iamaustrian

Member
Huge Succeeded said:
The Pro D-pad is hardly a 7.5, and I'll show you why.

I'm pretty sure most of the people who say they haven't had issues haven't played games where frequent accidental diagonals are really noticeable during play. Stuff like Puyo Puyo Tetris, and sometimes BoTW.

It is way too easy to hit directions you aren't trying to hit on the Switch Pro Controller D-Pad. Anyone can replicate this - just go to test your buttons in the settings. Hit left or right with the tip of your finger, as far from the center of the D-Pad as possible, and apply the tiniest bit of pressure up or down - and you'll get an up or down input as well. The amount of pressure required is so tiny that unwanted inputs come from normal play.

I made two short videos demonstrating this.

- One video of me holding the DS4 in one hand and rocking my thumb back and forth on the DS4 D-Pad (which I don't even like). I've got my PS4 controller hooked up thru Steam, the D-pad set to 8-way (enabling diagonals) and the directions set to WSAD (for visibility thru notepad).

- One video of me doing the same with the Switch Pro controller using the OS-level button test feature.

The results kind of speak for themselves:

https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/DeepWindingAnkole

https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/TidyDefinitiveKillifish

and seeing the internals of the controller as well as the nature of the fix described in an earlier post are enough to tell me that that's a result of a poor D-Pad design as opposed to a manufacturing error that affects just 'some' controllers.
Click to expand...

ok, listen
I'm very very sensitive to shitty d-pads. I could tell you when a snes dpad is going to break by just playing SF2 with it.
I'm gaming since famicom days on pretty much all nintendo consoles and several others.
One of my favourite genres are fighters and in general 2D snes and neogeo games.
I have very high standards in controllers.

and I tell you now that my two pro cons are not faulty or "poorly designed".
I have zero (0) problems with them. I did all the suggested tests(except the ones you did with DS4 pad as I don't own a PS4) to find out if my controller is faulty or not and it all passed them with bravour. not a single false input.
I played the hell out of Puyo Puyo Tetris, BotW(I think I'm almost at 400hours) and played through several hardcore NeoGeo fighters and believe me. No way in hell I could finish them with a faulty/shitty dpad.

don't get me wrong. I'm sure that there are faulty controllers out there (in fact, I believe there are more than usually defect) but I'm also sure that there are perfectly working ones.
This thread is now almost 16h old and there are "only" 5 pages with half of the replies being "No probs here".
If really every(like you suggest) pro controller is affected, don't you think more people would reply here?
 
S

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
I've played puyo puyo tetris a lot with my controller and never had a problem..I love my pro controller >>
 
M

MrBS

Member
Luanch pro controller is no good. I thought picking up a Splatoon pro controller would solve this problem but it did not so I now have two pro controllers with garbage dpads. A shame.
 
S

shotgunbob04

Member
Buyers be warned: the Pro controller's d-pad is defective by the design Nintendo went with. Sending your controller in for a replacement will get you another Pro controller with the exact same problem.

There needs to be a loud enough voice from consumers in order for Nintendo to consider changing the design in the controller's first revision.

If I knew today that there was a revision of the Pro controller, I would immediately send mine in. I think the controller has a year warranty, so I'm still hoping for Nintendo to make a change. But until then, my Pro controller sits in a drawer while I play my Switch in handheld.
 
Arren

Arren

Member
iamaustrian said:
and I tell you now that my two pro cons are not faulty or "poorly designed".
I have zero (0) problems with them. I did all the suggested tests(except the ones you did with DS4 pad as I don't own a PS4) to find out if my controller is faulty or not and it all passed them with bravour. not a single false input.
Click to expand...

Ok, listen. If you want to do an actual service to the community and not just merely show off about a presumably perfect controller that works wonders, can you (and the other users claiming the same) actually address the following aspects:

1) Can you push your D-Pad all the way down from the center? And by doing so, does it trigger any input at all from the calibration test?

2) Can you post a video or a single gif of the calibration test being performed with the method we have already explained a thousand times in this very thread and actually demonstrate that your inputs rock smoothly between left and right?

3) If all of the following is indeed true and backed up by visual demonstrations, can you open your controller, take measurements of the plastic cross and rubber membrane and verify if there's anything that stands out?

Really, I do understand that some feel the need to chime in, state that their new device works perfectly and then abandon the discussion, but this is turning into a stale and useless debate with no research or advancement whatsoever on the matter. If people have replaced their controller up to 10 (!) times, it is statistically indisputable that the problem IS there and IS widespread. Let's all work collectively to identify the issue for once and verify if there really is some "good batch" out there.
 
Pila

Pila

Member
"Mine is perfect"

"They are all faulty by design and you won't ever get a good one"

"Best thing ever"

"I'm burning down this bitch"

Not sure what to think here. ^^
 
N

NeatoKuni

Member
i was just talking about this actually. both my regular and my splatoon one out of the box has that issue and there really isn't an excuse when the controller is 70$... sad.
 
N

Nekketsu Kõha

Banned
Pila said:
"Mine is perfect"

"They are all faulty by design and you won't ever get a good one"

"Best thing ever"

"I'm burning down this bitch"

Not sure what to think here. ^^
Click to expand...

Lol not the best dpad. Better than most others, better than my PC Xbox controller, the 360 controller and Steelseries XL, but I'm pretty sure PS4 had better dpad but that controller is worse when it comes to the rest of the stuff. Want a great dpad though get a controller without sticks like retro ones. But this is more than serviceable. Besides that the controller is amazing in every way.


I don't remember people sending their Xbox controllers back over that dpad, we were disappointed but I don't ever remember this outrage. More like some things are bad some things are great and no controller is perfect. But this is a Switch thread.

Still best overall game pad I have enjoyed. From sticks to triggers and bumpers and face buttons the shape and feel in the hand to weight and size. Amazing and the dpad is better than many others.
 
A

Alex_Mexico

Member
shotgunbob04 said:
Buyers be warned: the Pro controller's d-pad is defective by the design Nintendo went with. Sending your controller in for a replacement will get you another Pro controller with the exact same problem.

There needs to be a loud enough voice from consumers in order for Nintendo to consider changing the design in the controller's first revision.

If I knew today that there was a revision of the Pro controller, I would immediately send mine in. I think the controller has a year warranty, so I'm still hoping for Nintendo to make a change. But until then, my Pro controller sits in a drawer while I play my Switch in handheld.
Click to expand...
I as seriously considering send it back for exchange so thanks for that clarification.

Can't believe Nintendo has the current title for the word Title Dpad. Very dissapointed
 
Pila

Pila

Member
Nekketsu Kõha;245359906 said:
Lol not the best dpad. Better than most others, better than my PC Xbox controller, the 360 controller and Steelseries XL, but I'm pretty sure PS4 had better dpad but that controller is worse when it comes to the rest of the stuff. Want a great dpad though get a controller without sticks like retro ones. But this is more than serviceable. Besides that the controller is amazing in every way.


I don't remember people sending their Xbox controllers back over that dpad, we were disappointed but I don't ever remember this outrage. More like some things are bad some things are great and no controller is perfect. But this is a Switch thread.

Still best overall game pad I have enjoyed. From sticks to triggers and bumpers and face buttons the shape and feel in the hand to weight and size. Amazing and the dpad is better than many others.
Click to expand...

You know, I rock a 360 pad for my PC and while the dpad is kinda bad, you can still play with it. 106%'d Super Meat Boy with it. I never know when/if the internet is over-reacting...

I know about retro controllers but I kinda wanted a "general purpose" second controller for multiplayer and friends scared of new things like joycons lol, guess I'll end up buying one and see for myself.
 
N

Nekketsu Kõha

Banned
Pila said:
You know, I rock a 360 pad for my PC and while the dpad is kinda bad, you can still play with it. 106%'d Super Meat Boy with it. I never know when/if the internet is over-reacting...

I know about retro controllers but I kinda wanted a "general purpose" second controller for multiplayer and friends scared of new things like joycons lol, guess I'll end up buying one and see for myself.
Click to expand...

Yeah for sure Xbox controllers works fine enough. For some games it is rough even impossible of course but for PC the Xbox controllers are some of the best overall despite dpad. But I also got a qanba q4raf. No controller can excel at everything.


When they release VC retro games on switch etc or a game I want that relies on dpad to be working great and I will either figure out a way to attach stick or buy one of those 8bit pads or whatever. Like people have done on consoles since the Atari.
 
cireza

cireza

Member
Icelandic_Jazz said:
I'm thinking of giving this fix a go. Anyone else with issues try this?
It's a shame the pro controller has d-pad defects. If I can get rid of the faulty inputs it will be one of the best.
Click to expand...
I believe this will make diagonals very difficult to input.

Better not want to play KOF like this...
 
X

XaosWolf

Member
I definitely noticed in PuyoTet. The d-buttons on the joycons are far superior because there can't be any fuck ups if the directions aren't even attached.

Best d-pad is still the Vita and the PS4 doesn't even use that one.
 
A

AppleSeason

Member
Vyse The Legend said:
My Pro Controller suffers from incorrect inputs, too. So, I ordered the Hori one, and got it in the mail yesterday. This one:



Sadly, I did not get to test the D-pad in-game yet, but it definitely felt better in hand.
Click to expand...

Mmm. Time to start looking for reviews. Right now it's like nothing screams Nintendo in that Pro controller. Design wise feels like everything else, and if it loses the mythical Nintendo d-pad... Although after Gamecube I'm not sure if that died a long time ago.


Moreche said:
Do this and it'll fix it.
I know not everyone wants to take theirs apart but it's a real easy fix.
http://www.ateijelo.com/blog/2017/07/12/effective-fix-switch-pro-controller-dpad-issues
Click to expand...

Oh wow, it still uses the same internal design for the rubber and dpad as the Snes Gamepad? This would make me want it even more if the d-pad was actually accurate.
 
C

Coketruck

Member
I've played a lot of Puyo Puyo, Zelda and Shovel Knight on mine and I can't say I've noticed any issues. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones.
 
N

Nerrel

Member
shotgunbob04 said:
Sending your controller in for a replacement will get you another Pro controller with the exact same problem.
Click to expand...

That's not exactly true. My first controller was so unusable that I had to send it in, and the replacement they sent was better. It still had the issue, but it was mild enough that I could get by without accidental inputs on at least a few directions of the pad (down was still totally fucked up, other directions were tolerable). Plus, it would be good to make this a costly enough problem for Nintendo that they have to acknowledge it. If no one complains or sends their controllers in, they'll never address it.

Icelandic_Jazz said:
I'm thinking of giving this fix a go. Anyone else with issues try this?
It's a shame the pro controller has d-pad defects. If I can get rid of the faulty inputs it will be one of the best.
Click to expand...

cireza said:
I believe this will make diagonals very difficult to input.
Click to expand...

I did that tape mod and found that it does reduce unwanted diagonals by a substantial amount. It doesn't eliminate them, though, so you can still trigger them but it takes more effort than before. It's not perfect, but it might take your D-pad from "registering false directions constantly" to "only registering them when you press off center." You don't have to worry about diagonals failing to respond, it'll still be sensitive to them.

AppleSeason said:
Oh wow, it still uses the same internal design for the rubber and dpad as the Snes Gamepad? This would make me want it even more if the d-pad was actually accurate.
Click to expand...

I wonder if the black contacts on the underside of the pad are closer to the board than on past pads. I haven't seen anyone look into that possibility yet. It's kind of mind blowing that Nintendo is getting such shitty results with a D-pad that looks pretty much identical to the great D-pads they were making for generations.

There was a guy who swapped his pad for an off-brand Wii U Pro pad and it fixed his problem. He was under the impression that cutting the circular tube out was what fixed it, but I'm guessing it was just using a different pad that may have had a different contact height: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/62glmc/switch_pro_controller_dpad_teardown_and/

Arren said:
Really, I do understand that some feel the need to chime in, state that their new device works perfectly and then abandon the discussion, but this is turning into a stale and useless debate with no research or advancement whatsoever on the matter. If people have replaced their controller up to 10 (!) times, it is statistically indisputable that the problem IS there and IS widespread. Let's all work collectively to identify the issue for once and verify if there really is some "good batch" out there.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Listen to this and prove that your controllers are working perfectly, folks. I've yet to see a single person share the kind of short vids at the input test screen that those with problems have shared.
 
dcx4610

dcx4610

Member
Weird. I think it's a fantastic d-pad and one of my favorites in recent years. I've seen the videos of it registering incorrect movements but I think that's just natural error from repeated presses. I think the same test would fail on most d-pads.
 
H

Huge Succeeded

Banned
dcx4610 said:
Weird. I think it's a fantastic d-pad and one of my favorites in recent years. I've seen the videos of it registering incorrect movements but I think that's just natural error from repeated presses. I think the same test would fail on most d-pads.
Click to expand...

??? I did the same thing with a DS4 and posted a video of it last page and had no such errors. Most d-pads don't do this.
 
H

Huge Succeeded

Banned
Nerrel said:
Thank you. Listen to this and prove that your controllers are working perfectly, folks. I've yet to see a single person share the kind of short vids at the input test screen that those with problems have shared.
Click to expand...

Seriously. Put up or shut up. Took me two minutes to make the two videos I posted earlier with my cellphone. 5 minutes to get 'em online.
 
S

Subaru

Member
I absolutely love Nintendo controllers, but this generation it's terrible.

I agree with this problem on the Pro Controller, I have the same ones.
And while I do like the joycons, even after the hack my joycons suffers connection issues.

Unless I'm playing at portable mode I always have some kind of compromise.
 
S

SigSig

Member
When I play Tetris, a lot of Up-inputs come out, which I definitely don't press. It's very annoying, since it's my favourite controller ever made in about every other aspect.
 
A

AppleSeason

Member
Nerrel said:
I wonder if the black contacts on the underside of the pad are closer to the board than on past pads. I haven't seen anyone look into that possibility yet. It's kind of mind blowing that Nintendo is getting such shitty results with a D-pad that looks pretty much identical to the great D-pads they were making for generations. .
Click to expand...

I had not thought it that way. Given that it is a time tested and proved design, it's mindboggling that now they may have added a flaw to it.
 
R

Regiruler

Member
I'm glad I read this before getting a pro controller.
phanphare said:
that only works if you put it in sleep mode

which I've started doing

it won't power it on from a full power off
Click to expand...

It's really dumb there's no outright power button on the controller.

That and the fact that a portable system can't charge while completely off is kinda stupid.
 
P

Phoenixus

Member
My pad has had issues with icon selection in Zelda, though since I haven't got too many games that rely on the D-Pad yet Im cool with it for now. When Virtual Console does finally hit though, I'm sending it in for tweaking.
 
H

Huge Succeeded

Banned
Regiruler said:
I'm glad I read this before getting a pro controller.


It's really dumb there's no outright power button on the controller.

That and the fact that a portable system can't charge while completely off is kinda stupid.
Click to expand...

Switch charges while it's off.

And the Switch isn't meant to be powered off completely. You're supposed to put it into sleep mode when you're done, which is why that's what the power button on the system itself does. That's the reason that the only way to power down the Switch completely... is by holding that power button until the option pops up on-screen - there's no other way to power down the Switch. All power-related options that you can access using the interface relate to putting the console in sleep mode, or at most, restarting it. Some turn their PS4 and Xbox One off completely to save energy; Switch consumes a miniscule fraction of the energy that PS4 and Xbox One consume. Switch uses about as much energy during active use as the PS4 uses in rest mode. I can't imagine any reason to turn the Switch off completely every time you're done using it, and that's the only situation in which your home button won't function as a way to wake the console up.
 
N

Nekketsu Kõha

Banned
Regiruler said:
I'm glad I read this before getting a pro controller.


It's really dumb there's no outright power button on the controller.

That and the fact that a portable system can't charge while completely off is kinda stupid.
Click to expand...

It is in standby. You can turn on and off with the controller. Like all electronics. If you turn off power altogether then obviously you can't...


Edit: this has been explained countless times now lol
 
D

dragonlife

Member
SigSig said:
When I play Tetris, a lot of Up-inputs come out, which I definitely don't press. It's very annoying, since it's my favourite controller ever made in about every other aspect.
Click to expand...
Yup, this is what happens to me with my Splatoon 2 pro controller. I'm still a slow player, but every time I speed up a bit, a piece drops where I don't want it to, and I lose. And you just know it's because of the wonky d-pad sensitivity, so you get extra salty.

The only test I've done for the d-pad is in menus. For Puyo Puyo Tetris, on the character select screen, I just hit left and right repeatedly and the cursor immediately starts flying everywhere (same for the item menus in Zelda). Haven't tried doing it with the grip as a control, though.
 
N

neilyadig

Member
I have the issue too. It sucks.

I want to do the scotch tape hack, but I need an extra long Philips 00 screwdriver...

http://www.ateijelo.com/blog/2017/07/12/effective-fix-switch-pro-controller-dpad-issues

switch-pro-03.jpg
 
The Main Event

The Main Event

Member
For what it's worth, my launch Pro Controller gave me incorrect inputs from time to time. Contacted Nintendo last month to get it replaced which they did.

I haven't tested the replacement, but received my Splatoon 2 Pro Controller in the meantime and it's been an improvement for me. Not perfect by any means, pressing quickly from left to right without lifting my thumb will register ups/downs, but continuously pressing in one direction gives me perfect accuracy, which my OG Pro failed to do.
 
A

Alex_Mexico

Member
SigSig said:
When I play Tetris, a lot of Up-inputs come out, which I definitely don't press. It's very annoying, since it's my favourite controller ever made in about every other aspect.
Click to expand...
That alone should disqualify it as your favorite controller ever because that's no small matter.

For me it was posed to be my favorite but the lack of headphone jack, analog triggers, no way of turning on a fully powered off Switch remotely, the horrible placement of Home and Share (which should've been out of reach like the PS and Xbox Guide buttons since I push them by mistake more often than I should), and especially that shitty Dpad instantly relegated this Controller behind at least the DS4 and XB1.
 
O

Owari

Member
Can confirm, all 4 of the pro controllers I have are completely garbage. Horrible QA from Nintendo.

They practically invented the dpad how they can fuck this up in 2017 is baffling.
 
C

Caelus

Member
Waluigilicious said:
It's really annoying that people who say their controllers works perfectly are not bothered to prove it with a video.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the shitty quality, but here's me testing out the d-pad on the menu and BotW.

There's definitely a mechanical fault as rapid inputs (e.g. between up and left) don't register well, this hasn't impacted my playtime significantly but it's worth noting that there are flaws even in controllers that seemingly work well.
 
K

K-Gun

Member
I find gyro aimng so much better on the pro vs joycons, sticks are better too. Haven't used the d-pad much, I'm sure mine has the same issue, which is a shame because I really like the controller. At least I paid 45 for it.
 
Surface of Me

Surface of Me

I'm not an NPC. And neither are we.
amnesiac said:
I don't have any input problems with it but it is way too clicky. Not really a good feeling d-pad at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah I really disliked it too for this reason playing with it. I cant fathom playing through a fighting game or side scroller with it.
 
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